Guy Fieri The Secret Sauce to “Guy’s Grocery Games”

Aug 2, 2016

A good friend of mine was the first ad sales researcher at Food Network way back in the mid-1990s, and he used to grouse about how bad the ratings were, save for one program hosted by some chef by the name of Emeril Lagasse. Pressured to come up with ways of generating higher program ratings, my friend used to joke about running Emeril 24 hours a day and just re-branding the entire Network, T.E.N. — “The Emeril Network.”

Of course, the network’s owner (Scripps) never went quite that far, but they didn’t exactly suppress the energetic and exuberant Emeril Lagasse. You’ll forgive the pun when I say Food Network “spread” Emeril all over the place…but I think you get the idea. Eventually, Emeril metamorphosed into his own “culinary brand” and is no longer with the network (at least not as a regular), but Food Network hardly missed a beat when it began showcasing a new “unofficial face” for the network — the happy-go-lucky, Guy Fieri.

Once you lay eyes on Guy Fieri, you’ll never forget him. He’s the electric light bulb with the two-toned Fu Manchu mustache and bleach blond spiked hair, who hosts several Food Network shows (and specials), including the eponymous show, “Guy’s Grocery Games” (“3-G”), which has been on the air since the 4th Quarter of 2013 with well over one hundred episodes (and counting.)

“3-G” is one part game show; one part cooking show; and one part whatever Guy Fieri wants to throw in for a little extra entertainment. The action takes place in a pretty fancy supermarket (“Flavortown”) – a 55,000 square foot space designed specifically for the show. Believe me… it’s a lot nicer than anything in my neighborhood, starting with the sleek hardwood strip flooring.

The general format of “3-G” is having a handful of chefs careening through the aisles of “Flavortown”, looking for specific ingredients with Guy Fieri throwing in a few curveballs along the way. Ultimately, the chefs need to prepare several servings with the adjudged winner getting a chance to go on a — you guessed it — shopping spree.

“3-G” incorporates several elements from past cooking and game shows, but in the end it doesn’t really matter how derivative it can seem at times. And that’s because “3-G” has Guy Fieri, and that’s all that matters. His charm and personality keep things light hearted and moving along, which is why the show has delivered consistent rating and share levels for over 100+ episodes over the past ten quarters:

Over the 1-year period (4Q – 1Q 2015 & 2016), “Guy’s Grocery Games” has attracted well over 100 local cable advertisers who have ordered 1,300+ (equivalized) 30-second spots across 43 Viamedia markets (~60% of Viamedia’s national footprint.) That comes to an average of over eleven commercial units per advertiser.

And when we confined our analysis to the twenty-five Viamedia markets that exhibited advertising over the past two seasons, we found (on a per episode basis) a total investment growth rate of 7% driven primarily by an increase in 30-second commercials. Moreover, growth wasn’t confined to just a handful of markets– 72% of them exhibited increased advertising investments year-over-year:

In terms of local cable advertising categories, the two largest (Automotive and Food & Groceries) account for over six out of every ten dollars invested in “Guy’s Grocery Games.” While Automotive’s 39% share is about four points higher than what we see company-wide for this category, it is the Food & Groceries category that really stands out at 22% — a figure 10-times what we normally see:

What keeps “Guy’s Grocery Games” rolling along quarter after quarter with over 100 episodes and counting? For one thing, the show is amusingly inventive as it keeps throwing crazy new obstacles (and formats) at the “cheftestants.” There are literally dozens of them, such as the “ABC Ingredients Game”; the “Food Wheel”; “Budget Battle”; “Cart Swap” and “Aisle Down.” But the real secret sauce comes in the form of the show’s host, Guy Fieri. The directors can create all the clever segments they want, but they wouldn’t be as much fun without the energetic and very likable Guy Fieri. After all, he is the face of the entire network, not to mention this show. And he’s the real reason why audiences and local advertisers alike keep coming back for more!